Fender Compugilist + Pour Over Envelope Filter + The Trapper Dual Fuzz Pedals

FENDER BOLSTERS ITS PEDAL LINE-UP WITH A MULTI-VOICED FUZZ THAT’S BLESSED WITH AN OCTAVE SWITCH FOR ADDED HI-JINKS. REVIEW BY TREVOR CURWEN.

What’s better than a fuzz pedal? Answer: two fuzz pedals. The Trapper isn’t exactly that, but it does feature two different fuzz voices and lets you footswitch between the two. Fuzz 1, which has Fuzz and Level controls, is a smooth, everyday silicon fuzz which is also capable of octave fuzz via a toggle switch that adds in the extra harmonic element. The second fuzz is more full-on hooligan, and while it only has a Level control, it also has an integrated noise gate – the idea being that you use your guitar volume and tone controls to bring out its variations; back off your guitar volume for sputter and glitch.

Both circuits feed an EQ array consisting of a Tone knob that rolls off treble and a Contour knob that has bass boost/treble cut at one extreme and the opposite at the other, with scooped mids at its centre. Between the two knobs you can dial in loads of tonal variation, from thick and woolly to eardrum-shredding spikiness.

There’s no surprise in the styling – it’s the same anodised aluminium chassis with practical offset input and output jacks, a ‘jewel’ bypass LED, and the familiar knobs with optional blue LED position markers. Power is by nine‑volt adaptor or nine-volt battery, which has probably the easiest access of any pedal we’ve seen – the whole of the end of the pedal is a pull-down flap.

VERDICT

The Trapper is a dynamic, versatile fuzz, with two discrete core flavours – one a little more feral than the other – and an octave function that opens up a world of quasi-synth overtones.

PROS

Three fuzz flavours in one box (if you count the octave fuzz).

It’s a bargain.

The Fender pedal-build template remains convincing.

DISTRIBUTOR

Fender

Ph: (02) 8198 1300 Web: fender.com

CONS

Not much at this price.